Number of states. Complete list of US states with capitals
The state is the main administrative unit of this state. The states are further subdivided into districts, and in rural areas into townships. There are 50 states in total. The last of these (Hawaii) was annexed to the US in 1959. Some of the confusion that arises as to how many states are in the US arises because there are currently discussions about the possibility of joining the state of the 51st state, but so far That did not happen.
The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and some other territories claim the title of the 51st state. The term "51st state" is used when applied to territories that are strongly influenced by America (Australia, Mexico, Iraq and others).
Not all administrative divisions are formally states. The Commonwealth (eg, Kentucky, Pennsylvania) and the District of Columbia differ. The capital of the United States, Washington DC, is located in Colombia. The principles of government are the same for states and commonwealths. Colombia, on the other hand, due to the fact that it is not a state, cannot elect its representatives to the Senate. Related to this is her struggle for the right to become the 51st state of America.
The American flag has 50 stars according to the number of states. If another administrative division joins the country, the number of stars will increase.
US regions
The US map makes it clear that onfns are grouped by region - depending on their location. Distinguish the Northeast of the United States, which includes New England and Mid-Atlantic states, Midwest, US South, and US West.
The Northeast includes Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts and other states. This region is considered the most developed and wealthy in the country.
The Midwest region includes 12 states - Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and others. It has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, well-developed industry and agriculture.
The south of the United States is also called the Black Belt. The percentage of black Americans is traditionally high here - they were once brought to the South as slaves. The region includes 12 states and one federal district - Columbia. This region is characterized by the greatest ethnic and linguistic diversity.
The West of the USA is the largest region, it occupies more than half of the country's territory. It includes 13 states (Nevada, Hawaii, California and others). The largest number of national minorities in the United States live here.
Local government
United States of America are federal republic. First of all, this is expressed in the high level of local self-government.
Each of the 50 states has:
- the constitution;
- governor
- Supreme Court;
- Legislative Assembly;
- capital.
Any resident of America has, as it were, dual citizenship - the country of the United States and the state in which he lives. In addition, each state has its own flag, its own animal, product, and even an insect! All states also have mottos and nicknames - both officially approved and unofficial.
For example, the official name of the state of Indiana is the Big Apple State, Missouri is the Show Me State, Nebraska is the Corn Peeler State, and New York is known to be the Big Apple. There are also interesting unofficial nicknames (the so-called nicknames) - "Gopher State" for North Dakota, "Panhandle State" for West Virginia, "Land of the Midnight Sun" for Alaska and others.
The mottos of the states are widely used in the official symbols of the country: they are minted on coins, cut out on seals. They sound in different languages: Florida - in God we trust (English), Oklahoma - Work conquers all (Latin), Minnesota - North Star (French) and so on.
In the state of Washington, in the city of Seattle, there is a huge wall covered with chewing gum. Oddly enough, this is the wall of the local theater. The phenomenon arose spontaneously, and at first the authorities tried to fight it, but since this failed, they decided to leave it as it was - another attraction appeared.
The state of Kansas invites you to slide down the highest waterslide on the planet: its height exceeds the height of Niagara Falls.
In general, each US state is unique and does not look like another. Despite their differences, they still make up one great country - the United States of America.
Have you ever wondered how many states there are in the US? It seems to me that this is a completely logical and natural question for those who are fond of American culture, cinema or the English language.
In my article, I will try to tell in detail not only how many states there are in the USA, but also to explain why it happened this way from a historical point of view. In addition, readers will learn many new and interesting facts about an amazing and huge country called
Number of states in the US: 50 or 51?
The United States is a huge state located in the central part of the mainland. And today the country consists of 50 states, one federal district of Columbia, which is considered an independent federal unit, and several island territories that also do not belong to any state.
Each federal unit is divided into districts administered by city municipalities, and rural areas can, among other things, be divided into townships.
Why do US states sometimes have such strange names?
Those who speak English probably know that the word “state” itself can be translated both as “state”, but at the same time as “state or country”. In 1648, when the United States was in the colonial period of the formation of the state, this word was mainly used to call individual colonies. And since 1776, after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the word "state" began to enter the official name of 46 states (for example, the state of Texas or the state of Idaho). Although it is impossible not to note the fact that on the flag of, say, California, to this day you can read the "Republic of California".
It is believed that eight main sources became the basis for the origin of the names of the federal units of the state. Let's dwell on each in more detail:
- 26 states have names of Native American origin, although "Idaho" was most likely made up. Modern linguists have come to this conclusion, since they have not been able to find out its meaning to this day;
- the name of the northernmost state (Alaska) came from the ancient;
- the word "Hawaii" belongs to the language of the local population - Hawaiians;
- eleven states are of English origin, six are Spanish and three are French;
- the name of the state of Rhode Island is taken from (presumably) Dutch;
- and only Washington has purely American historical roots.
What is the probability of the 51st state appearing?
We seem to have received a fairly exhaustive answer to the question of how many states there are in the US, but why then do we hear about some 51st from time to time? What is this mythical federal unit and why is it called that way?
The thing is that this is a kind of term that is commonly used to call territories that claim such a status (Guyana, Haiti, Rio Grande, Sonora, Yucatan). In addition, this is the name of the countries on which the United States of America has a strong cultural, political or economic influence. For example, Australia, Great Britain, Georgia, Israel, Iraq, Mexico and other countries.
The following proposals have also been repeatedly submitted to the US Government:
- About the creation in the territory of the eastern part of Washington and the northern part Idaho State Lincoln.
- On granting, for purely economic reasons, New York the status of a separate state called New York City.
- On the separation of parts and Idaho into a separate state of Eastern Oregon.
- About attempts to separate the regions on the peninsula of Michigan into a separate state of Superior. Supporters came up with this proposal, because. believe that the current government does not pay enough attention to the inhabitants of this area.
- About the hypothetical merger of several former and present Pacific territories of the United States and the creation of a united federal unit of Pacifica.
That is, based on all of the above, the question of how many states are in the US remains open. One thing can be said with complete certainty - today there are 50 of them, but in the very near future the situation may well change.
First level administrative division USA are states. The states are divided into districts - administrative divisions of the second level, less than a state and no less than a city. Since in most states districts are referred to as county, a common translation into Russian is “county”, by analogy with counties in England (which are also called counties). In total, according to the US Census Bureau, there are 3,141 districts in the country. The smallest number of counties is in the state of Delaware, the largest is in the state of Texas. Each state determines the number of its administrative divisions. The powers of the administration of the districts and the relationship with the municipal authorities of the settlements located on their territory vary greatly from state to state.
How many states are there in the USA?
There are 50 states in the USA. The third level of administrative division are city municipalities and townships that manage the local life of settlements. The former are local governments and may have different names in different states. Townships are rural administrative divisions, traditionally covering an area of about 100 square kilometers (36 sq mi). They are available only in 20 states. State (state - "state", "country") - the main state-territorial unit of the United States (50 states), having significant degree sovereignty in internal affairs and conceding full powers to the federal authorities in relations with foreign countries. The admission of any territory to the United States is preceded by a lengthy procedure: the mandatory adoption by the territory of its own Constitution, which must be satisfied by the US Congress, which decides on its admission to the United States. Does not have the right to secede from the United States. Where did the state name come from? The word "state" appeared in the colonial period (about 1648) - they sometimes called individual colonies. It began to be used everywhere after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Origin of American State Names
50 US states borrowed their names from many languages. The names of 25 of these came from Native American languages: 8 from Algonquian, 7 from Siouan, 3 from Iroquoian, 1 from Uto-Aztecan, 5 from other Native American languages, and one from Hawaiian. The rest of the states got their names from European languages: 7 from the Latin language (mainly from Latinized forms of English names), 6 - from the actual of English language, 5 - French (one name came through English). Of the 50 states, 11 were named after individual historical figures. There are also several options origin for 6 names (Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Oregon, and Rhode Island) - the table below lists several hypothetical origins for these states.
Origin of the state name |
|
Idaho | A made-up word, presumably from the Native American "treasure of the mountains" |
Iowa | |
Alabama | From the Native American expression "I clear the thickets" |
Alaska | The name of the peninsula. In Aleutian means "big land" |
Arizona | From Native American "key, source" |
Arkansas | From the name of the tribe |
Wyoming | From the Native American expression "changing mountains and valleys" |
Washington | In honor of George Washington |
Vermont | French for "green mountain" |
Virginia | In honor of Queen Elizabeth I, The Virgin Queen (Virgin) |
Wisconsin | From an Indian tribe |
Hawaii | From the name of a Polynesian hut |
Delaware | For Governor Lord De La Warr |
Georgia | In honor of the English king George II |
West Virginia | In honor of English queen Elizabeth I |
Illinois | From Indian "people" |
Indiana | The state was densely populated by Indians |
California | From the name of an imaginary island in an old Spanish novel |
Kansas | From an Indian tribe, nicknamed by the neighbors "people of the south wind" |
Kentucky | From Native American "tomorrow's country" |
Colorado | From the river, whose name is translated from Spanish as "colored, colored" |
Connecticut | From the Native American expression "on the bank of a great stormy river" |
Louisiana | In honor of French King Louis XIV |
Massachusetts | From Native American "little place on a big hill" |
Minnesota | From Native American "sky blue water" |
Mississippi | "Big River" in Indian |
Missouri | From the name of an Indian tribe |
Michigan | Indian word for "great water" |
Montana | Spanish for "mountainous" |
Maine | From the ancient name of the area in France |
Maryland | In honor of the English Queen Mary, wife of Charles I |
Nebraska | From the Indian name of the river |
Nevada | "Snowy" in Spanish |
New Hampshire | From the English county of Hampshire |
New Jersey | From Jersey |
New York | In honor of the English city of York (especially for the Duke of York, the future James II) |
New Mexico | From the Aztec "god of war" |
Ohio | "Great" in Iroquois |
US states on the map
USA map online
What is a "state" and how many are there in the US?
The United States of America is a federation of 50 states US states).
The state is the basic state-territorial unit of the United States. Since 1959 there have been 50 of them. Each of them has its own flag and motto.
Word state(state) appeared back in the colonial period (about 1648). This word was sometimes used to refer to individual colonies. It began to be used everywhere after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The state has its own constitution, legislative, executive and judicial powers.
Each US state is divided into districts - administrative-territorial units of the second level. They are smaller than a state, but larger than or equal to a city. The exception is the five counties (boroughs) within New York City. There are 3,140 counties in the country, according to the Census Bureau.
The third level of administrative-territorial division are city municipalities and townships (English township), which manage local life settlements. In 2002, there were 19,429 city municipalities and 16,504 townships in the United States, according to the National League of Cities.
50 US states borrowed their names from many languages. The names of half of them came from the languages of the North American Indians. The remaining states received names from European languages: Latin, English and French.
In addition to the states, the country includes and is governed by administrative-territorial units with the status of a federal district or federal territory - the District of Columbia and a number of islands.
District of Columbia(The District of Columbia, D.C.) is not part of any state. Just in it is the capital of the country Washington.
The US island territories include: Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa.
51st state
There is such a term as "51st state". This term refers to the territories that claim to receive the status of a US state in addition to the already existing fifty states. Among the possible candidates for the title of "fifty-first state" are the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, Puerto Rico. The question of granting statehood to the City of New York has also been repeatedly raised.
There is one curious fact in history. In 2012, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, in support of American colonization of the moon, said: "When we have 13,000 Americans living on the moon, they can petition to become a state." However, in accordance with article II of the Outer Space Treaty, outer space, the Moon and other celestial bodies shall not be subject to national appropriation, either by claiming sovereignty over them, or by use or occupation, or by any other means.
How are they part of the United States
In order for any territory to become part of the United States, a lengthy procedure is required. The territory must adopt its own constitution. The constitution must satisfy the US Congress, which decides whether to admit the territory to the US.
States cannot secede from the United States unilaterally.
This is the most large country among the largest countries in the world.
There are 50 subjects here - these are 49 administrative divisions - states and Colombia, which is considered a federal district. It is there that the main capital center of the country is located. Every state in America has its own capital, but not every capital is Big City of this area.
The USA also includes 14 islands.
What is a "state" and how many are there in the US?
A state is an administrative-territorial division of a given country. From 1959 to this day, there are exactly 50 of them. All states have their own flag, as well as a motto. In addition, each state has its own constitution and an extensive system of government, which includes the legislature, the judiciary and the executive system.
Each state has its own districts, which are smaller than the state, but larger than the standard city, and sometimes equal to it. In some states, cities are larger than a county, such as within New York City. Based on the latest population census, this territorial unit has 3140 districts.
The life of the local population in the areas of residence of citizens is managed by city municipalities and townships.
The names of the 50 states have been borrowed from many languages. Basically, the names came from the Indian tribes living in this territory. Others are derived from Latin, English, French.
Just as already mentioned, along with the states in America, there is the Federal District of Columbia and several islands.
It is in the Federal District of Columbia, which does not have the status of a state, that the center of the United States, Washington, is located.
Read also
National capitals
Washington DC has been the capital of the United States since 1800..
In different years, the central cities were the following:
- Philadelphia.
- New York.
- Baltimore.
- Trenton.
- Lancaster.
- York.
- Princeton.
- Annapolis.
Complete list of US states and their capitals
- Idaho (Boise Center).
- Iowa (Main Center Des Moines).
- Alabama (Montgomery).
- Alaska (Juneau Center).
- Arizona (Phoenix metropolitan area).
- Arkansas (Little Rock).
- Wyoming (Cheyenne).
- Washington (Olympia).
- Vermont (Montpelier).
- Virginia (Richmond).
- Virginia West (Charleston).
- Wisconsin (Madison metropolitan area).
- Hawaii (Central Honolulu).
- North Dakota (Bismarck Center).
- South Dakota (Pyrrhus Center).
- Delaware (Dover).
- Georgia (Central Atlanta).
- Illinois (Springfield).
- Indiana (Central Indianapolis).
- California (Sacramento).
- Kansas (Topeka).
- North Carolina (Raleigh).
- South Carolina (Central Columbia).
- Kentucky (Frankfort Center).
- Colorado (Central Denver).
- Connecticut (Main Hartford area).
- Louisiana (Baton Rouge Center).
- Massachusetts (Central Boston).
- Minnesota (Saint Paul).
- Mississippi (Jackson)
- Missouri (Jefferson City).
- Michigan (Lansing Center).
- Montana (Helena).
- Maine (August Center).
- Maryland (Annapolis metropolitan area).
- Nebraska (Lincoln Center).
- Nevada (Carson City).
- New Hampshire (Concord).
- New Jersey (Trenton).
- New York (Central Albany).
- New Mexico (Santa Fe).
- Ohio (Columbus)..
- Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
- Oregon (Salem metropolitan area).
- Pennsylvania (Harrisburg).
- .Rhode Island (Providence).
- Tennessee (Nashville Center).
- Texas (Central Austin).
- Florida (Central Tallahassee).
- Utah (Capital district of Salt Lake City).
Confederate States of America
At times civil war they were slave territories, while the northern part of America was free from slavery.
The confederate states are:
- Mississippi State,
- Florida area,
- Georgia area,
- State of Texas,
- South Carolina,
- State of Alabama,
- North Carolina area,
- Louisiana,
- State of Virginia,
- Arkansas area,
- Tennessee,
- Missouri,
- Kentucky area,
- State of Arizona.
Republic of Texas
The state of Texas is a wealthy region with its own deep history. In 1836, there was a separation from the Mexican territory and the proclamation of the independence of Texas. From this period, this territory became known as the Republic of Texas. In this status, it lasted until 1845. From this period, Texas becomes the 28th state of America and receives a new name - the state of Texas.
Thus, Texas was the only territory that entered the Union while remaining sovereign.
During the American Civil War, the state of Texas was out of the Union, its re-entry happened only in 1970.
At the present time, Texas is one of the richest areas of the country, with its developed economy and high level life.
Like many years ago, this state practices mining. In particular, it is oil and natural gas. Along with them comes mining, sulfur, helium and salt.
Texas is also an agricultural region, predominantly growing cotton and grain crops. Animal husbandry plays a significant role, and in some areas fishing.
The territory and the number of people living in the state are vast, they are in second place after the state of Alaska.
Kingdom and Republic of Hawaii
It is the 50th state of the American state. Hawaii, along with four US states, was briefly considered an independent territory.
In 1795 - 1810, the territory of Hawaii, previously ruled by several chiefs, was proclaimed a kingdom.
July 4, 1894 The Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic. And from July 7, 1898, the Republic of Hawaii falls under the protectorate of the United States and becomes dependent on America. Between 1939 and 1945 Hawaii was an important strategic target for military operations. Only in 1959 they became part of the US as the 50th state.
Hawaii has been considered for many years the sugar monopoly of the United States, and pineapples are also grown here for export.
Currently, tourism is flourishing here, due to the mild climate of the area and its proximity to the ocean.